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Hey guys, I just captured some honeypot ant queens specifically, Myrmecocystus mimicus. I really need help in which kind of set up I should put some in. Some people recommended the test tube set up with some dirt with it. I put one of my queens in this set up and noticed something bad. The dirt that is in contact with the wet cotton ball caused the dirt to become muddy. I do not know if I constructed this set up correctly. Thanks!

Well the dirt would become muddy and that's not surprising. You didn't do anything wrong. Theirs nothing to worry about as long as their is some place in the test tube which is a little drier and not muddy. As the queen will place her brood where it is best for them. I think its fine. Best Regards!

Thank you guys for the input! For a quick update, all four of my mimicus queens are still alive and have new, healthy brood. I did notice that the one in the test tube with the dirt has the most number of brood. Most of the mud also dried up.

After consulting with someone who has raised Myrmecocystus for over 30 years, I highly recommend you put these queens in small jars with a hydrostone base and some sandy soil, about 5 mm thick.

Edited by Miles, July 29 2017 - 4:39 AM.

gcsnelling likes this

Hi, I'm Miles! I'm an aspiring biologist, public servant, and undergraduate student at Montana State University (College of Agriculture) as an Honors Scholar studying environmental science and entomology. I have been keeping and researching ants for around eight years and I am deeply passionate about nature! Ants rule!